Prongslet & Co
by lunaerum
Summary: Two choices. That was all it took. Two choices changed the fate of the wizarding world and the lives all of its inhabitants. (Or, alternatively, Regulus defects and Dumbledore suggests using Peter as the real secret keeper after the idea is brought up by James. After Voldemort's demise and the death of James and Lily, Sirius, Remus, and Regulus raise Harry).


**Disclaimer** : Don't own anything but the fic idea/writing

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 **Summary** : Two choices. That was all it took. Two choices changed the fate of the wizarding world and the lives all of its inhabitants. (Or, alternatively, Regulus defects and goes to his brother and Dumbledore for sanctuary and Dumbledore suggests using Peter as the real secret keeper after the idea is brought up by James. After Voldemort's demise and the death of James and Lily, Sirius, Remus, and Regulus raise Harry.)

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Hi, everyone! I changed my username from artemisian to lunaerum. Hope I didn't cause too much confusion!

I've been planning this fic for probably two years and I finally got around to writing it! This is going to be a _monster_ of a fic, I've planned out so much and all I can say right now is: 1) Harry is going to have the _cutest_ baby crush on Regulus (that isn't going to go anywhere, I promise) 2) This is going to be extremely AU and 3) This is going to be extremely long.

The length of this chapter will probably be the standard length of a chapter, if not a little bit shorter. This fic will follow Harry through his childhood, through Hogwarts, and after. I've had a lot of fun planning this out, so I hope you guys have fun reading it!

 **Warning** : Canon character death.

 **Pairings** : Sirius/Remus/Regulus (Where Sirius and Regulus pine over an oblivious Remus, who is pining for Sirius and Regulus), many boys will have baby crushes on Harry (the list includes Neville, Draco, Blaise, Ron, and a few more - leave a review with who you would like to see crushing on Harry) but I don't have an endgame for him yet, and Fleur/Hermione/Lavender (*rubs hands together evilly*).

I'm going to try to update fairly regularly! But I have a Slytherin!Harry with Good!Dumbledore fic in the works, as well as all of my other WIPS.

This fic is dedicated to _ **earthbitten**_ on tumblr! Check them out! Judah is incredible and is such a good sport when listening to my rambling about this fic and my many others. And thank you to **_You Light The Sky_** (check out her fics btw) for betaing this fic!

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It's been three hours and Sirius Black has been invited to no less than _three_ celebratory parties.

Remus Lupin hasn't been invited to any at all, but it's often assumed that anywhere Sirius is, Remus is by proxy.

Regulus has been fire-called by old Slytherin friends, mourning the loss of their lord and Sirius nearly cast _aguamenti_ on the fireplace after the fourth call and after the fifth, Regulus is looking a little gray around the edges because he never wanted to be marked – he had only been disillusioned to the cause with pretty words and his mother's manipulation.

 _Toujours Pur_.

What a _joke_.

It's been three hours and Sirius still doesn't know what happened – he's waiting on a firecall from James or Lily or Dumbledore, _anyone_ to inform him of what had happened, besides what's common knowledge among the entirety of the wizarding world.

At the moment, all Sirius knows is that Voldemort is dead. And he can't find even it in himself to be happy when there's this sinking feeling in his chest and stomach, like he's swallowed lead – he just needs to know Harry and James and Lily are okay. He wants to go out and make sure of this fact himself and he would, consequences be damned, but.

 _But._

Remus is sitting at the end of the couch, wringing shaking, _nervous_ hands together – and Regulus, who had surprisingly bonded with Lily after the not-so-secret defection is sitting right next to Remus on the couch, looking no better than the other man. His forehead is pressed to his knees and he looks more young and vulnerable than the usually aristocratic man has any right to. They're both five seconds from breaking down and Sirius leaving and possibly _dying_ , as Death Eater activity was high (another reason for the parties, people wanted to get everyone off the street to avoid unnecessary casualties) would only serve to exacerbate the situation. So, with a heavy heart, Sirius settles near Regulus, places his hands in his lap and waits for Dumbledore (or hopefully Lily or James, because they have to be alive, they _have_ to be) to Floo with news.

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Dumbledore arrives almost silently, green flames billowing behind him. He steps out of the Floo untouched by soot, his bright baby blue robes a startling contrast to his somber expression. It's been five hours since Sirius first got word of Voldemort's demise, and the fact that it's not Lily or James arriving by Floo, as well as that strange uncharacteristic look on Dumbledore's face only confirms his suspicions that something grave had happened to James or Lily or – please, _please_ not his godson, he was just a _baby_ – Harry.

For a moment after Dumbledore's arrival, there is only silence. Both Remus and Regulus had fallen into a light sleep brought on by exhaustion and were again waking up and Sirius sits frozen on the couch. Horrible scenarios are running through his mind, and former Gryffindor that he may be, Sirius can't summon the courage actually ask what happened, because the truth may just be more terrifying than anything that Sirius has thought of.

It's his brother who asks the dreaded question, somehow braver than either Gryffindor in the room. "James, Lily, and Harry …" he says softly, rising from his seat on the couch between Sirius and Remus to stand, searching his former professor's face for some sort of answer. "What has become of them?"

Dumbledore's averted gaze is almost answer enough. Remus slumps backwards onto the couch as if the non-answer had physically pained him, his whispered 'no' almost too soft to hear.

Sirius jumps to his feet, torn between rage and grief. "You promised they'd be _safe_. You said the Fidelius was _impenetrable_ –" He falls silent when he notices Dumbledore, eyes still averted to the side, has wilted just a bit, burdened by the weight of Sirius' words and his own guilt.

Sirius sits back down, places his head in his hands, and tries to remember that Dumbledore lost two of his former students – his _protégées_ – that Dumbledore was not without his own grief without Sirius adding fuel to the fire.

" … how? How did they – Harry?" Desperation and grief grips him once more as he remembers his godson and he stares up at his former professor in askance, barely registering his brother dropping to sit beside him. "What about Harry? Please – please … he hasn't –?" Sirius can barely bring himself to utter the words. He'd just seen Harry a week ago, and the boy had been so happy, so energetic … Sirius couldn't even begin to imagine him as anything less. Thinking that the boy shared the same fate as his parents was _unbearable_ , because although James was his best friend, Harry was his _godson_.

Fortunately, Dumbledore begins to speak at that moment, distracting Sirius from his grief-stricken thoughts and morbid musings. "No," he says contemplatively, stroking his beard. "Voldemort tried, but I suspect that even in death, Lily protected him and ensured that he would live. Voldemort used the killing curse on him – " And here, there are audible gasps from all three men sitting upon the couch in front of the wizened man, but Dumbledore continues as if he hadn't heard it. "Harry is alive, but his continued livelihood is a testament not only to his parents' sacrifice, but his own magic."

Again, there is a moment of silence – awed now, instead of fearful and distraught – until Sirius again jumps to his feet, desperation clear in his wide eyes and the line of his mouth. "Where is he now? The will said –"

"Hagrid has taken him to Hogwarts to be checked over. He'll have to go to St. Mungos later, but as Poppy has acted as his healer for the past year, with everything that happened tonight – having someone familiar with Harry that he himself was familiar with check him over was for the best. Hagrid will be here shortly once Poppy is finished."

Assured that not only Harry was alive, but that he wasn't being taken from him, Sirius sits back down beside Regulus and places his head in his hands, mind blank.

On the other side of Regulus, Remus sits forward, eyes ablaze, almost feral in their intensity. "What about _Peter?_ "

At the sound of that name, Dumbledore heaves a great sigh and turns, searching for the ugly old armchair that had been bought by Sirius' mother when she was still in Hogwarts. Once found, he sits himself in it and steeples his fingers, his expression darkening, mouth set into a grim line. "He's been taken care of," he says after a moment, and then anticipating the questions the three men on the couch would surely ask, he continues. "He is in custody of the Aurors, awaiting trial. It was my fault, encouraging James and Lily to pick an unconventional secret keeper. Peter is not the only guilty party in this."

The statement hits Sirius like a well-placed punch to the face. He wishes, more than ever, that he could take back those accusing words he'd hurled at the older man. It wasn't Dumbledore's fault that Peter was a traitor – he couldn't fault himself for trusting the man unless he also wanted to blame James and Lily for doing the same.

He opens his mouth to say just that when the Floo goes off once more and all coherent thought leaves his brain. Is it just another fire-call? Or is it Hagrid, bringing his godson? Sirius holds his breath as he waits, the suspense nearly _killing_ him, not daring to make a sound.

And it _is_ Hagrid, that much is clear as the giant of a man steps out of the fireplace, hem and elbows of his robe blackened with soot. He holds Harry very tenderly and he too dares not to break the tense atmosphere as he walks to Sirius and hands the man his godson, carefully peeling back a thin blanket he had placed on the lad to protect him as they traveled by Floo.

Harry doesn't wake, and Sirius is grateful for that much as his eyes scan his godson for any injury he might have obtained that night. His heart nearly stops when he spots an angry red wound peeking out from behind wispy black bangs. He can't even bring himself to ask Dumbledore or Hagrid what had happened, the reality of the situation bearing down on him heavily, until he can barely breathe and his chest is tight with terror at what could've happened to Harry and grief at what had happened to James and Lily.

Hagrid begins speaking, but it's almost as if he's some great distance away and mumbling because Sirius can hardly hear a thing. He's trying to breathe deeply, but it's not really working, and his mind is running through thousands of scenarios and possibilities of what could've happened tonight if he had just _been_ there. He forces himself to calm when he notices his grip on his godson has gotten a pinch too tight and with a gentle hands, he re-bundles Harry up, taking great care not to wake the boy.

" – maybe we should talk about this tomorrow." Remus' voice rings out, clear and grounding. The mere sound of his voice breaks through the fog that had permeated Sirius' head. "Sirius hasn't slept in nearly twenty-four hours and we all need to process what has happened. Sirius?" Remus' so-called 'prefect' voice (and this tone was named jokingly by James in their fourth year – though that hurt to remember) gentles, nearer than ever, and Sirius realizes with a jolt that Remus must be addressing him.

"I – yes?" He turns his gaze from his godson to his (last remaining) best friend who's standing to his side, eyes bright and just a bit watery. Behind Remus and still sitting on the couch, Regulus looks simultaneously concerned, overwhelmed, and exhausted.

"It's time to get to bed." And before Sirius can protest, Remus tacks on, "Harry should really sleep in an actual bed, Sirius. It's time for both of you to get a good night's rest."

And Sirius can hardly deny _that_ and so he stands, nods at Dumbledore and Hagrid in lieu of any well wishes for the night, walking stiffly to the stairs and to his room, both Remus and Regulus a comforting presence at his back. He makes it to his room without waking Harry, and curls up on top of his bed clutching his godson close. He closes his eyes, tries desperately not to imagine how it was that James and Lily died, but even with his eyes closed, he can only see James being tortured or Lily dying or Harry being hurt – there's no reprieve from his dark thoughts.

Then there's a soft creak that must come just outside the doorway to his room and another, even softer sound that can hardly be called creak follows shortly after. Sirius raises his head from its place on a pillow to stare blearily in the direction where the sound had come from.

Unsurprisingly, it's Remus and Regulus, standing hesitantly just outside his room, weariness and worry immediately clear in their expressions.

"... What are you two doing out there? Come in," Sirius manages to say, throat dry and voice rough. He'd been drifting off when the two men had arrived, but he's thankful that they'd woke him up – with the way his thoughts were going, nightmares would have been guaranteed later that night.

Both Remus and Regulus share a glance before stumbling into Sirius' room, quiet as can be. Remus sniffs the air once and climbs onto the bed, settling onto the other side of Sirius and reaching for Harry, nosing at his hairline before kissing his forehead. Regulus stands at the edge of the bed, more uncertain now than before. Remus and Sirius, with baby Harry between them ... Regulus would surely just intrude if he were to climb onto the bed with them.

He takes one last look at the bed – and intends it to be his last for the night, regardless of the fact that he too wanted to see Harry – before making his way to the door, planning to sleep in his room.

"Wait – where are you going?"

"Regulus ... ?"

Sirius and Remus call out to him as one, both of them raising their heads to stare blearily at a wide-eyed Regulus who had just made it to the door.

"I – there's no room. I was going –" Regulus begins to say, floundering for the first time in ages.

"No room?" Sirius gives him a look – one that Regulus is quite accustomed to, as every time he'd tried to follow proper pureblood protocol he'd gotten it – before scooting towards the edge of the bed so it left room for Regulus between Sirius and near Harry. "You could've just told us to move. Come on."

Regulus opens his mouth to argue, but decides against it – knowing that Sirius would win either way. Instead, he walks toward the bed and settles in the space Sirius had provided, reaching up a gentle hand to brush the the hair out baby Harry's eyes. Seeing Harry alive and well, breathing, and spared from the fate of his parents' alleviates some worry he hadn't known he'd been carrying and he relaxes, sinking into the bed – exhaustion taking its hold. On the other side of Harry, Remus is more asleep than awake, and behind him, Sirius seems to be the same, from the sound of his breathing.

Regulus curls an arm gently around Harry, careful not to wake the boy. Under the scarce weight of Regulus' arm, Harry's chest moves, up and down in tandem with his breathing. On the other side of Harry and behind Regulus, Remus and Sirius begin to fall asleep. The sound their deep breathing lulls him to sleep and Hypnos offers him a small respite:

He dreams of nothing.

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 _Fin ..._ (for now)

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Next chapter will be Dumbledore coming by to explain what had happened to James and Lily and Remus, Sirius, Regulus finalizing the funeral arrangement for the two, as well as custody for Harry.

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I'm lunaerum over on tumblr! Feel free to follow me – I'm currently accepting fic prompts.

Review if you'd like! Feel free to tell me how you feel about this AU and if you liked it – it will certainly inspire me to write more (maybe)!


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